Holding cabinets have been in use for a number of years to maintain various food products in heated and/or humidified condition. Such cabinets are widely used in carry-out restaurants where the food is prepared in large batches and then stored in the holding cabinets until needed. Depending upon the nature of the foods being stored, the holding cabinets may be heated and they also may be provided with humidifying means to prevent the food from drying out.
Conventional holding cabinets normally comprise vertical units having doors which, when opened, expose a series of shelves or shallow baskets in which the food is stored. Alternatively, the vertical cabinet may contain a series of drawers stacked one above the other in which the food is stored, the drawers being in the form of wire baskets or otherwise perforated to permit the heated and/or humidified air to flow around the food. Such cabinets are usually provided as free-standing floor units or as counter-top units.
In view of the space required for conventional holding cabinets, a need has been felt for a horizontal holding cabinet which has a plurality of product receiving drawers arranged in side-by-side relation so that the unit may be mounted on a shelf or fastened to a wall in areas which are not normally used, thereby freeing up floor and/or counter space for other uses. The present invention provides a holding cabinet of this character.